With almost every major technology company in the world supporting and promoting the deployment of the ‘Internet of Things’, including IBM’s recent $3 billion investment, there is no denying that IoT is not just a passing fad. In order to create connected devices, companies are focused on giving assets, products and spaces an internet presence over WiFi.

In the consumer space, Amazon’s recently announced Dash Button has shown how IoT could be used to help consumers order the products they need around the house, with greater ease. This, along with Apple’s HomeKit and Google’s push for the connected home through its NEST acquisition, is helping to accelerate awareness and interest in this space.

Mike Crooks, Development Director at MiBeacons, talks to TelecomsTech about using BLE technology to overcome WiFi limitations and the potential that beacons can have on the advancement of IoT. As the majority of IoT use cases collect intelligence from physical products, beacons can incorporate sensors to not only take into account proximity, but also measure temperature and moisture. For companies, beacons can often provide a low cost and low maintenance solution to overcome the limitations that WiFi connectivity in IoT presents, as well as bringing its own unique advantages. However, beacon technology currently has its own setbacks. iOS devices are not yet able to read data outside of proximity, meaning that interaction between the beacon and your device can only happen when inside the set parameters. Bluetooth 4.2 will soon be enabled with IPv6, which will allow a mesh of beacons that are internet connected, so that interactions can happen beyond set parameters. However, the process of making this technology reliable is still underway; so using it in live deployments is still a couple of years away.